Project Title: Provision of Integrated Health and Nutrition programme (IHNP) services in Bosaso district in Bari region.
Implementing Organization: INTEGRATED SERVICE FOR DISPLACED POPULATION (ISDP)
Reporting Staff: Name Kadro Ahmed Shire
Activity: Community sensitization and advocacy meetings
Number of Beneficiaries attended: 92
Locations: farjano, Tawakal and Raf iyo raaxo)
Dates of the training: December 21-23rd 2020
Project Overview
This Programme contains detailed information on infant and young child feeding, including breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and infant feeding in general. ISDP implementing the IYCF program supported by UNICEF. The importance of breastfeeding as the preventive intervention with potentially the single largest impact on reducing child mortality.
IYCF is not stand-alone program its integrated to other health and nutrition program as OTP, TSFP, and MCHN, it covered 15 MBA sites and host communities. Shabelle, Shirkow, Banadir, Buloelay, Buloqodax, balade, Exridwan, Raf iyo Raaxo ,fardows, Biyo kulule, 10 bush, 100bush, BuloelayMCH, Shabele MCH and Stabilization center
Specific objectives of the Community sensitization and advocacy meetings
- To conduct advocacy meeting for pregnant and lactating mothers to ensure their understanding of IYCF and hygiene practice
- Advocate for appropriate support the practice of optimal infant and young child feeding for all women, including employed mothers.
- To improving community sanitation and environmental hygiene.
- Strength collaboration between MBA staff, CBW, and community to encourage to Refer malnutrition children and should follow up.
- Contribute to the prevention and reduction of childhood and maternal malnutrition, illness, and death.
Expected Outcome Community sensitization and advocacy meetings.
- Mother to understanding disadvantages of artificial feeding and get more knowledge on advocacy meeting
- Mother to have basic knowledge of the main differences between breast milk and artificial milk
- To show mother best way to feed child less than two year and requirements for clean and safe feeding of young children.
- Explain and discuss mother the frequency of feeding complementary foods
- To achieve more mothers during the advocacy meeting to share with us their thoughts, if they have any idea of improving or changing the services or adding their expectation for
- MBA(Mother Baby Area) and IYCF program.
Achievement/Final Results
Activity: Community sensitization and advocacy meetings
Target: 92
Achievements Q3: 92
December 21,23rd 2020: 92
Total achievement: 100 (100%)
During the advocacy meeting, we were asked mothers questions like breast milk traditional beliefs Importance of breastfeeding infants less than 6 months need for water in addition to breast milk. their feedback shows that they really know more about IYCF, Hygiene and, sanitation. The IYCF group/ individual counseling and community awareness sessions really helped the community and improved their skills on good hygiene and sanitation practices, Young children feeding and caring.
Three days Community sensitization and advocacy meeting were held at Raf and Raxo, Tawakal, and Farjano community centers in the period of 21st ,22nd and 23th Dec ,2020. A Total of 92 peer mothers attended the meeting. The ISDP also invited for the meeting other influential groups such as community leaders and religious leaders. The main aim of this meeting was to have knowledge and experience of the community in order to gather as much information as possible to enhance community ownership and program sustainability and to let everyone has his or her own say.
After this, there was an opportunity for participants to ask questions and find out information about the services of MBA and MCHs. Furthermore, ISDP Nutrition staff provided to the participants who may have felt that they did not get sufficient opportunity to communicate their issues to write down what they know about breastfeeding and how to improve hygiene.
Participants were also given more information and awareness on how to protect themselves from diseases and how to live in a clean environment.
Meanwhile how to build a close working relationship with the community stakeholders and MBA counselors to facilitate access to the health and nutrition services available and to encourage the community to be involved and participate in the project implementation sustainability.
Challenges
- Some Participants never had little knowledge of IYCF, perhaps they have a limited idea about the meeting.
Lesson Learnt
- Community meetings help to change people’s perception of cultural believes and myths on breastfeeding and food for children.
- To gather community It helps fathers and grandmothers to attend the meeting to encourage them to influence motherSet featured images to continue breastfeeding while she is pregnant.
- Community engagement is key to defeat challenges such as barriers to Breastfeeding uptake, hygiene, and sanitation.
- Community leaders and fathers to take their Responsibility for awareness of peer mothers caregivers grandparents in the community because people are listening to their words.
Recommentation/ Solution/conclusion
- To conduct more community meeting to ensure a level of understanding of breastfeeding and active feeding of children
- Food cooking demonstrations at the household level and teach the mothers how to prepare supplementary foods for the young children and lactating and breastfeeding mothers to tackle malnutrition in the first place.
- Community leaders encourage families to take their children to be weighed each month and to provide families with information on the resources available in the community. In households where children are not growing well, community leaders need to be aware of this and offer support.
FIG 1: The ISDP-IYCF officer Asking questions about IYCF During community sensitization and advocacy meeting awareness.
FIG 2: meeting participants raising hands to answer the question about IYCF.